Tuesday, August 30, 2011

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"The man was wild, nearly uncontrollable, and so filled with hate anyone who looked at him saw their death in his eyes." The dizziness intensified. Hell, so did the desire. "To have a man like that, to have all of his vigor focused on you, pounding into you...his participation willing..."

Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.

That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in an horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the parish morgue--and that it's an offer she doesn't dare refuse.

Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey--just when she's hungriest!

Angel's going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn't, she's dead meat.

Literally. (Goodreads)

My Romancing Thoughts:

Left me hungry for more!

When Angel Crawford wakes up in a hospital asking about the accident she was in, the nurses and doctors tell her she overdosed on pain killers and nothing more, just another typical day in her crappy life. With no solid recollection of the previous night's events, Angel is determined to get out of the hospital and try to remember what exactly happened. Just before she decides to make her escape, a nurse hands her a set of bags left for her, one containing clothes and the other containing an anonymous note with instructions and some mysterious jars.

Taking all the help she can get, Angel follows the instructions on the note which leads her to a new job at the local coroner's office, talk about an unbelievable night! The concept of working at the coroner's office seems a little gross at first, but Angel soon finds she has an iron stomach and has no problem assisting with dead bodies; something that surprises everyone, including her. Finally feeling she has a second shot at a normal life, she tries her best not to screw it up by staying away from all her vices, but Angel's new cravings for brains might just cost her everything she's worked hard to keep!

This is my first, official zombie book and I can now say there's not a better book to start with than this one! Initially drawn in by its cover, I was skeptical but curious to venture into the world of zombies. If you're looking for slow-moving, grotesque-looking, mindless zombies, you won't find them here. "Zombie-ism" in My Life As A White Trash Zombie is more like the supernatural strength and abilities of vampires, only a bit more gross. They walk and talk as humans, keep jobs, have incredible strength but need to chow down on some brains every few days to keep appearances up, failure to do so will turn them into an extra on Night of the Living Dead!

Angel Crawford is one troubled leading lady when we first meet her. She's a high school drop out with a dark childhood, is unemployed, has a pill-popping habit and even has a criminal record. Angel is one of the most flawed heroines I've met but her rawness is what makes her so intriguing. The change in her is quite inspirational, even if it took dying to accomplish. There are times where she lacks self esteem and you wonder: "Now why the hell would you do that Angel?" but you can't help rooting for her. Her character is marvelously written, as is her transformation. There are also some secondary characters that come into play that you'll enjoy and some that you'll instantly hate. My personal favorite: the sexy and mysterious Deputy Marcus Inavov, you'll have to read the book to find out why!

My Life As A White Trash Zombie is shear genius, pairing up the gruesome details of an autopsy while keeping it humorous and then adding a bit of romance into the mix seems crazy, but Ms. Rowland does it flawlessly! A little bit of mystery, action, zombie romance and a totally unexpected ending will exceed your expectations and have you craving for more brains...err, story that is! This book will definitely make you a member of Team Zombie if you aren't already. I encourage everyone to put this on their reading list, you'll devour it just as I did!

My Rating

Quoteworthy:

"Why did I have the urge to grab a handful of that pink and grey mass and shove it into my mouth like movie popcorn?"

“That…is a zombie, I silently shrieked to myself. Holy Fucking shit. That’s a motherfucking zombie, and this shit is real.”

“Death wasn’t fair. Death didn’t give warning. Death hit nice people and nasty people. It didn’t give a shit.

The 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 & over crowd, and make new friends!

How to join in:

You should run a book blog that features and reviews mostly adult reads, some Y.A.’s are okay but 18 & over adult reads should be your majority.

Make a separate post for the 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow on your blog.

Copy the html for the button on either host's site and place it at the top of your post.

Wow...I have a few faves but if I had to choose just one couple, it would be Zsadist & Bella from BDB. Their story and romance is beautiful and really pulled on my heartstrings when I read it. I love all the BDB couples but these two hold a special place in my heart!

Honorable mentions:

Cat & Bones from the Night Huntress Series

Vishous & Jane from the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series

Elena & Raphael from the Guild Hunter Series

Mac & Barrons from the Fever Series
Wraith & Serena from the Demonica Series

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Just wanted to let you all know that I'll be on vacation from August 22ndthrough September 2nd in hot and rainy...but sometimes sunny Florida (I'm a day late in posting this...)! I'll be checking in whenever I can but can't promise to do much blogging while I'm sunbathing and hitting the beach.

I hope to work on my tan (always wearing sunscreen of course!) and catch up on my reading to bring you even more reviews on all the awesome books I've read when I get back! Yeah, there might be a hurricane on the way but I'm determined to get even a few rays in between...mother nature needs to play nice!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

I'd like to welcome John G. Hartness back to Romancing the Darkside! John is currently promoting his latest release, Knight Moves, book #3 in the Black Knight Chronicles. If you haven't already checked out this original and witty urban fantasy series...you need to!

Knight Moves by John G. Hartness

{Black Knight Chronicles ~ Book #3}

In the third installment of The Black Knight Chronicles, vampire private investigators Jimmy Black and Greg Knightwood find another vampire (or more) playing in their sandbox, and the boys are NOT happy about it.

While tracking down the killer of a young college student, they encounter boobytraps, defenestration, coeds, a hirsute bounty hunter with a moon fetish and a bad attitude, and worst of all - game night at a comic shop!

This comic urban fantasy series has drawn comparisons to The Dresden Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Kevin Smith movies. Knight Movesis the followup to the kindle best-selling Hard Day’s Knight and Back in Black.

John G. Hartness is a poet, actor and novelist from Charlotte, NC. He is the author of the urban fantasy series The Black Knight Chronicles and the stand-alone novel The Chosen. His work has been compared to Kevin Smith, Joss Whedon, Jim Butcher and other grown men who spend too much time in comic book stores. He likes bluegrass, fried pickles and cheap beer.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Dirty Little Secret is a new weekly meme hosted by the wonderful girls over at Under the Covers. It's a great way to get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets!

To participate in this meme all you need to do is:

Be a follower of Under the Covers.

Create a post in your blog taking the meme image and copy instructions.

Answer the question proposed.

Add your link to the Mr. Linky in the Dirty Little Secret post @Under the Covers.

Non-bloggers: We want to hear from you as well!!! Let us know your answer in the comments!

We hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!

This week's question:

"Tell us who is in your harem of deliciously sexy book heroes..."

Wow this is a great question. My harem, in no particular order, consists of:

Roxanne Mathis isn't like everyone else. Not only can she see auras and spectral entities, she can mix herbs and roots for spells to do good or ill. She can even light a candle without the benefit of a match. But when she’s hired to exorcise a demon from a young girl, she discovers the limits of her powers.

With her vampire cousin at her side and a sexy sorcerer chasing her on the rebound, Roxie sets out to send that evil entity back to where she came from.

Nothing is as it seems and Roxie’s in over her head. It’s not going to be enough for her to just be a paranormal investigator and old school root worker – to defeat this demon, she’s going to have to be the Mojo Queen.

My Romancing Thoughts:

Dark, magical and wickedly sexy!

Roxanne Mathis is anything but your average girl, she's a witch and "ghost hunter" who happens to have a vampire as her cousin. As a paranormal investigator and exterminator, Roxanne is used to dealing with mischievous ghosts and spirits in her work, but nothing prepares her for her latest gig. When a couple of college students hire her to perform an exorcism, things take a dark and ominous turn and Roxie finds herself in the middle of a string of slayings by a conjured demon. As if things couldn't get any worse, Roxie feels an immense attraction for the mysterious and sexy sorcerer, Blake, who unleashed all the evil she is now trying to banish. In a world where nothing is as it seems, Roxie will have to put in some major overtime on this case, embrace her true power to defeat the demon and try her best not to mix business with pleasure!

This is one of those stories that make you pull an all-nighter to finish! Sonya Clark masterfully combines paranormal romance with an edgy dark side and great humor. Roxie takes center stage as the heroine and completely wins you over with her charm and wit. She's not your typical Alpha butt kicking leading lady, but holds her own as a smart and sometimes nerdy witch with insecurities. Blake, Seth and Daniel are the perfect ensemble of supporting characters for this smart and spellbinding story. Even the villain has personality and is quite entertaining!

Mojo Queen delivers a mysterious thrill ride full of lust and danger. Blake and Roxie have major sexual tension for most of the book and a few sexy scenes that will leave the "smut lover," like me, content. I'd label this story more urban fantasy with paranormal romance elements for a lack of strong romance, but one you'll surely devour. Roxie and her gang will keep you in suspense, entertain you with their sparkling personalities and have you laughing out loud at times. If you like your paranormal with a pinch of darkness and spoonfuls of humor, this one's for you!

My Rating

Quoteworthy:

"Blake reached for a backpack on the floor I had not seen in the darkness. He opened it, fished something out, and tossed it to me. I didn't so much catch it as let it fall in my lap. A chocolate candy bar. It was my turn to quirk an eyebrow." Waving the bar at him I said, "What, is this to ward off dementors?" - Roxie

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Rosalie Lario, author of Blood of the Demon is stopping by today to talk us about the art of world building in paranormal romance. She'll be sharing a little of her Infernum world and its inhabitants. Hope you enjoy!

Building an Alternate World: How the Infernum was Born

by Rosalie Lario

My name is Rosalie Lario, and I’m a paranormal romance writer. Do I sound a little bit like an addict there? Well, I am one. Nothing beats the high I get from reading and writing books, and for me, books containing paranormal elements top all the rest.

One of the things I enjoy most about writing paranormal romance is the ability to create the world in which my characters live. This is a big deal for me, because I love characters who have a little something ‘extra’. When I first thought up my DEMONS OF INFERNUM series, I knew I wanted to have sexy demon heroes who are stronger, faster, and heal quicker than humans. But I didn’t want to have the usual take on demons: making them creatures from Hell. So I created a reality with multiple dimensions, where demons are a race of beings from a world called Infernum. Portals allow for travel between dimensions, and a lot of nonhumans live here on Earth. But nonhumans can be glamoured to appear otherwise, so most of the people born here on Earth go about their lives in complete ignorance of the various races of beings that inhabit their world.

Once I decided my brand of demons would be from another dimension, I had to go about building that world. I gave Infernum many of the characteristics that are often associated with our modern definition of Hell: it’s a desertlike world that’s always dark and hot, and there isn’t much in the way of technology. People born on Infernum are used to fighting for their lives on an everyday basis, and they’re all dying to escape their world.

Making Infernum such a hellish world had the benefit of giving me some tortured heroes for my DEMONS OF INFERNUM series. I built that up even more by making the heroes half-brother bounty hunters who grew up with a sadistic demon father. Oh yeah, they’ve got some major daddy issues. And when dear old daddy becomes the fugitive most hunted by the Elden Council—the political council governing travel and interaction between the races—the brothers are more than eager to help take him down.

I’d love to know what you enjoy most about paranormal romance. Is it the intricate worldbuilding? The superhot Alpha heroes? The kick-ass heroines? All of the above?

Keegan lives to exact revenge on the evil demon who sired and abused him. When his father devises a plan to bring on the apocalypse, he and his three half-brothers, interdimensional bounty hunters for the Elden Council, are charged with capturing and delivering their father for punishment.

Art gallery owner Brynn Meyers has no idea that her ability to read memories embedded in objects and drain people of their life force means she has demon ancestry. Unfortunately for Brynn, she’s also the key to raising an ancient zombie army, which puts her on every demon’s Most Wanted List.

And no one wants her more than Keegan’s father.

Keegan must protect Brynn from his father by any means necessary, but he’ll have to learn to harness the other half of his genetics—the far deadlier, uncontrollable half—when he starts to fall for the one woman standing between him and the vengeance he so desperately seeks. The one woman he’ll never be able to resist.

Rosalie Lario practiced law for five years before finally admitting to herself that negotiating contracts wasn’t nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. The first book in her Demons of Infernum series, Blood of the Demon, will be released August 2011.

Authors & Publishers

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